Sankalp Rally: BJP’s politicisation of IAF strikes misfires for Modi, invites public backlash

Instead of instilling a new life into the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Sankalp Rally on March 3 has thrown the ruling combine of Bihar into turmoil. The storm over the reported absence of any NDA leader at the airport to receive the body of CRPF inspector, Pintu Singh––who lost his life in Kashmir two days before––on the same morning compelled the leaders of Janata Dal (United), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) to publicly apologise.

The anger was palpable in the state as all these leaders were present at the same airport to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi at around 11:30 AM.

Reports started doing the rounds,especially on social media, that Pintu’s body was brought earlier in the morning ––at around 8:15 to facilitate the arrival of the Prime Minister.

The entire stretch of road from the airport to the venue of the rally, Gandhi Maidan, had to be sanitised for security reasons.

Though the NDA leaders were conspicuous by their absence, the president of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, Madan Mohan Jha, was at the airport to receive the body of Pintu, who originally hailed from Begusarai district.

Besides, rebel LJP MP Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Qaiser was also present at the airport to pay homage to the slain soldier. Chaudhary, a former Bihar Congress president, is likely to cross over from LJP to his old party. That is why he is now not regarded as an NDA leader.

Later, the family members of Pintu, in particular his father Chakardhar Singh, strongly criticised the BJP for using the martyrdom of security personnel.

Sensing that things have seriously gone wrong, JD(U) vice president Prashant Kishor first tweeted and apologised for this lapse. Then, a BJP minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet, Vijay Singh, rushed to Begusarai to attend the funeral of Pintu. But, by the time he reached the village, it was too late in the night and the last rites had been performed.

The villagers were not impressed by this lapse.

Thus, the NDA leaders’ attempt to cash in on the air strike backfired.

Then, came the allegations from several BJP functionaries and workers that the whole show was hijacked by the JD(U). They went on record to charge that chief minister Nitish Kumar’s party left no place for the saffron party to put up its banners, hoardings and flags around the venue and in the city. No doubt there were flags of BJP and Lok Janshakti Party, but they were much smaller in size and fewer in number.

This is not the first time that the NDA leaders have landed in soup over receiving the body of soldier or security personnel. A few years back, a BJP minister in the Nitish cabinet openly stated that it is not necessary for the ministers or CM to receive the body of the soldiers who lose their lives.

But in those pre-2014 days, there was no such fear of being dubbed as anti-national on the drop of the hat.

Before the rally, BJP leaders issued statements that those who are not going to attend this rally are anti-national.

Union minister of state for MSME, Giriraj Singh, was the first to issue such diktat.

Ironically, Giriraj could not attend the rally himself. He later pleaded that he fell ill so he could not make it to the venue. But the opposition leaders in Bihar were quick to call him anti-national and the one who had insulted the martyrs.

Independent political observers are of the view that the BJP has landed in trouble because of the politics it has adopted. They are of the view that this time the saffron party has itself been caught on the wrong foot.

After the rally, there is a sort of despondency in the NDA camp, especially among the leaders and workers of the BJP. This is largely because of the low turnout and the controversy over the non-appearance of any leaders at the airport to receive the body of the CRPF inspector.

Besides, what is bothering them is the lukewarm response of the party cadres as the rally ended up more as a Janata Dal (United) show. This had happened in spite of the fact that most of the urban seats of Patna in Bihar Assembly are held by the saffron party.